Eight candidates file for SF mayor

A total of eight candidates filed papers to run for San Francisco’s June 5 mayoral election by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline, but several top city officials who had been expected to run were not among them.

Acting Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, former state Senator Mark Leno and former Supervisor Angela Alioto all filed papers this week after having previously announced plans to run.

However City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who had previously pulled papers, today said he would not run after all.

Also not on the list are Assemblyman David Chiu and Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu, both of whom announced this week that they would not be running. Supervisor Mark Farrell, another rumored candidate, also previously announced he would not be joining the fray.

Candidates had only a short time to make a decision and enter the race for mayor following the unexpected Dec. 12 death of Mayor Ed Lee.

Whoever wins the June 5 election will serve the remainder of Lee’s term through January 2020.

Breed, who as president of the Board of Supervisors was automatically appointed acting mayor upon Lee’s death, is considered a front-runner in the race, as is Leno, who is the only candidate who had announced plans to run in the next mayoral election and started fundraising before Lee’s death.

Kim, who ran a close second against Scott Wiener in a 2016 state Senate race, can also be considered a contender, as can Alioto, whose name remains familiar to voters.

The front-runners were joined by four lesser-known candidates, Amy Farah Weiss, Richie Greenberg, Ellen Lee Zhou and Michelle Bravo.

Whether Breed will hold on to her position as acting mayor and the advantage of incumbency until June 5 remains uncertain.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin today called for the board to hold a hearing and vote on whether to appoint an interim mayor– a move that could potentially see Breed replaced by a caretaker mayor, or else force her to resign her District 5 board seat. However, the board would need six votes for one candidate to appoint an interim mayor and supervisors are not allowed to vote for themselves.

Supervisor Jeff Sheehy’s District 8 seat will also be contested on the June ballot. Sheehy, who was appointed by Lee last January following the election of former Supervisor Scott Weiner to the state Senate, will be opposed by urban development attorney Rafael Mandelman and Lawrence Dagesse, according to elections officials.